Quayside has earned her place in the VRC Oaks with a Rosehill victory that suggests she will have no trouble handling the 2500 metres of the fillies Classic.
In what could be a portent to Group One success, the David Payne-trained three-year-old won a similar race to that which preceded Fiveandahalfstar’s Victoria Derby win last year.
Quayside - Photo by Rachael Hart
“She’s got to go to the Oaks on that performance,” Payne said.
“She had it won a long way out and the distance won’t be a problem.”
With Brenton Avdulla aboard, Quayside ($8.50) gathered momentum in the straight to power to the line 1-3/4 lengths ahead of the aptly named Best Of The Rest ($12) in the Canterbury League Club Handicap (1900m).
Favourite Super Villain ($3.90) damaged his chances of joining his John O’Shea-trained stablemate Savvy Nature in the Derby when he finished second last of the eight runners.
In contrast, Savvy Nature performed to expectations to win the Vase (2040m) at Moonee Valley 20 minutes later.
Quayside’s stablemate Devil Miss finished fifth in the Rosehill race, 3-1/2 lengths from the winner, and may also head to Melbourne for the Oaks.
“We’ll wait and see with her,” Payne said.
Quayside is raced by John Camilleri, who bred her under his Fairway Thoroughbreds banner named for his multiple Group One winner of the turn of the century.
The filly’s mother Quays won the VRC Oaks lead-up, the Wakeful Stakes (2000m), in 2000 before running fifth in the Group One.
The following autumn she ran third to her Guy Walter-trained stablemate Republic Lass in the Australian Oaks.
“Everything about her says she is an Oaks filly,” Payne said.
Avdulla said Quayside had plenty of improvement left heading to Flemington.
“She’s a nice little filly and she’s going forward,” he said.
“Three-year-old fillies, when they get to a trip, they can improve rapidly, so I can’t see why she won’t run it out.
“It was just good the way she did today. She hit the front a long way from home and she switched off and still had plenty left there.”
